Following Governor Vajubhai R. Vala returning the State’s recommendation to promulgate an Ordinance — to protect 28 gazetted officers of the 1998 batch, selected by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) — for the second time, the government is now planning to table a Bill in the coming legislature session
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister G. Parameshwara, who confirmed that the Governor had returned the file pertaining to the recommendation for Ordinance, said the government will now place the issue in the legislature session beginning July 12.
The Governor’s refusal to promulgate the Ordinance twice has caused major embarrassment to the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the State. The Governor is learnt to have directed the government to place The Karnataka Civil Services (Protection of Service of Persons Appointed in Pursuance to Final Selection List Published by Selection Authority) Ordinance Bill, 2019, in the next session of the legislature. He is learnt to have written on the file that there should be a detailed discussion on the matter in both Houses of the legislature.
The State Cabinet had in May decided to promulgate an Ordinance for providing employment to 28 candidates who were denied the opportunity to join as gazetted probationer Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ posts in 2005-06 on their selection in the 1998 batch of KPSC owing to alleged irregularities in recruitment. But when the recommendation for the Ordinance was initially sent in June, the Governor had asked the government “why it was in a hurry”, and returned the file.
The excecise was undertaken following the direction of the High Court of Karnataka to the State government to provide jobs on the ground that the candidates were not involved in the irregularities in recruitment themselves.
